Preferred Citation note

Biographical/Historical note

Lena Mae Gamble was born in 1878 at Tonganoxie, Kansas. She attended Kansas State Normal School in Emporia, Kansas, and earned a Life Certificate in 1909 and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1915. She taught primary grades for School District 75 in Leavenworth County, Kansas. She also served as a critic teacher in the Kansas State Normal School training school from 1912-1914 and as a primary grade instructor and assistant supervising teacher from 1921-1923.

Lena married William Shelton Bixler in June 1914; William worked as registrar of Kansas State Normal School from 1911-1925. They moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Lena taught in the public schools, at the Philadelphia Teachers Institute, the Teachers College of Philadelphia, and Temple University. William passed away on December 17, 1937. After his death Lena moved to Tucson, Arizona. She was a librarian at the University of Arizona from 1940-1942, then organized the base library at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, serving as librarian there from 1942-1945. Lena Gamble Bixler died on January 5, 1964.

Scope and Contents note

This collection illustrates the education and work of Lena Mae Gamble prior to her marriage to William S. Bixler. It includes a copy of the Life Certificate issued by the State Normal School of Kansas on June 2, 1909. Other papers include teaching contracts from School District Number 75 in Leavenworth County, Kansas, from 1909-1910, a teacher's certificate authorizing her to teach in the Topeka public schools in 1911, instructor's certificates for teaching at Kansas Normal Institutes dated 1909-1913, and two undated papers detailing her work and education experiences.

Arrangement note

Chronological. Lena Mae Gamble was born in 1878 at Tonganoxie, Kansas. She attended Kansas State Normal School in Emporia, Kansas, and earned a Life Certificate in 1909 and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1915. She taught primary grades for School District 75 in Leavenworth County, Kansas. She also served as a critic teacher in the Kansas State Normal School training school from 1912-1914 and as a primary grade instructor and assistant supervising teacher from 1921-1923.

Lena married William Shelton Bixler in June 1914; William worked as registrar of Kansas State Normal School from 1911-1925. They moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Lena taught in the public schools, at the Philadelphia Teachers Institute, the Teachers College of Philadelphia, and Temple University. William passed away on December 17, 1937. After his death Lena moved to Tucson, Arizona. She was a librarian at the University of Arizona from 1940-1942, then organized the base library at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, serving as librarian there from 1942-1945. Lena Gamble Bixler died on January 5, 1964.

Publication Information

Related Materials

Related Archival Materials note

The faculty card file contains information on both Lena and William Bixler's careers at Kansas State Normal School. Lena is pictured as a senior in the 1909 yearbook and as a critic teacher in the 1914 edition. William is pictured in the 1914 and 1915 yearbooks. A copy of Lena's death obituary is available via microfilm copy of the
Emporia Gazette.